We Need You
by fevil-devil
Summary: Being born again to protect those around her, Val wakes into a new life. As she searches for her purpose and fights to keep herself from dissapearing, it becomes clear that not everyone is being entirely honest with her. She must now decide who to fight alongside, who she wants to keep protecting and who she died protecting. OC
1. Born

The moon was beautiful at this time of night. Though, she hadn't a clue what time of night it was. But it was all she could see. There was numbness to her body though she didn't seem to care. Everything felt dim and light weighted. Her eyes widened further and she could see the real beauty and brightness in the light above her. _Wake Miss Val. We need you now._ At the sound of the voice, she received full consciousness and gravity pulled her back down, her feet touching the ground. She began to breathe heavily as if recovering from shock and immediately began to check her surroundings. The air was cold and still and there was no outstanding color but the grays, browns and blacks she saw. She was in what appeared to be a demolished wooden home. The walls seemed still intact, though barely, and were covered in soot and blood. There was a lot of blood. They all but long dried up and stained the floor and ceilings. There was debris where she stood and looking back up, she saw the hole in the roof that had allowed the moon to shine down on her. She began to ponder if she really did hear a voice from it or if she was going insane.

There was a broken window to her left and she became distracted by it. Slowly, she approached and looked outside to see chaos. There were homes lining the street and nearly all were destroyed or in the process of being destroyed. The cobble stone floors were ripped apart from explosions and gunfire. Fires burst from homes and there were soldiers and civilians scattered through the streets. It was chaos. Val was aware now, of the reason why someone was needed; however she couldn't quite figure out what _she_ was to do about it. Stepping back, she found herself breathing heavily from the stress of the situation. Attempting to calm herself, she decided to take a bit of "inventory" of herself. Looking down, she saw herself wearing a faded and dirtied burgundy dress that went down past her knees and lay just above her ankles. It was fitted in the middle and the sleeves were short but ruffled. It was comfortable. Going further down, she noticed her shoes were flat and plain but very easy to walk in. There was nothing extraordinary about anything she wore or about her at all.

Her mind wandered back and wondered why she had been needed. There was nothing astonishing about her being so what was she to do? She sighed deeply and reached to scratch the back of her neck. While she was there she decided to scratch her back as well. Reaching back, she noticed something out of place. There was extra weight and she had somehow felt feathery elements. At the touch, she jumped and swerved around and checked to see if anything was behind her. She curiously touched her back again. There were feathers on her back. She brought her other hand around and outlined the wings that had somehow formed there. Her heart began pounding. She had wings. Val had to stop herself from hyperventilating and somehow decide what was going on. She cocked her head back and saw the white tips covered in feathers. She wondered if she could make them move. They were attached to her body after all. The only method she could think to use was her mind. She simply wanted them to open and stretch and her will made them true. The wings felt very strange and foreign, reassuring her that she did not have them before. They were extra limbs on her back and she found she could move the back and forth with ease as well. There was at least a ten foot wingspan; relevant to her size though smaller than she would have guessed were physically possible.

Suddenly, the sound of creaking wooden stairs started her heart again. Val looked around and quickly found a spot large enough for her to hide. Her wings folded, she could fit into a closet with a door that was still barely standing. A soldier had rushed up the stairs with a rifle in hand. She could also see the two hand guns in pouches on his side and the string of grenades hanging around his shoulder. The sight shook her. Her breathing become shallow and her heart raced. Would he shoot her if he found her? She couldn't tell if he was meant to or not. Was he searching for survivors to aid or to remove? She could feel herself trembling and she did her best to stop it. Apparently, she had done a relatively poor job. The soldier turned quickly with his gun aimed in line of her. Val jumped at the sudden movement, hitting her head on the short ceiling of the closet and breaking pieces of it. The soldier appeared to be more fearful holding the rifle than she had felt being on the other end of it. He shot instinctively in her general direction. She jumped again, screaming this time and broke off another piece of the closet. She shrunk down into the bloodied, dirt ridden floor and practically cowered for her life. When the soldier approached her, he looked around the closet and poked about with the barrel of the rifle. Even with her eyes shut, she was able to hear him poking around. She knew she would feel the cold metal weapon soon.

"Hello?" the boy called out curiously. At first, Val didn't move but she listened more intently. Had he not seen her? He answered her question quickly. "Is anyone in here?" There was a tint of fear in his voice. He was so certain that something had collapsed and moved. "I heard you move. I know you're in here!" he continued, raising his voice in an attempt to sound braver and more threatening. Slowly, she stood, making more noise than necessary but she was determined to test her theory. The soldier snapped to attention again and aimed the gun directly at her. She started at first but held her ground. There was fear that she was right in her speculation, though there was fear she might have been shot as well. His eyes were shifting and he shifted the gun about. He couldn't see her at all.

She didn't want to believe it. Val stomped forward, unafraid of being hurt and waved her hand in front of his face. He still hadn't seen her. She screamed and shouted at him but no recognition of her existence appeared. In the midst of her flailing, the soldier decided that his search was complete and came to attention. The unexpected movement shocked her but he again, made no notice of her. Frustrated, she reached out and tried to grab the boy, only to find her hand falling through his arm. She froze and stared at her hand. In all honestly, she was scared that she would disappear. Was she some sort of spirit? The soldier was walking off quickly but she meant to catch up with him. Again she tried to make physical contact with him, and again her hand fell through.

Outside of the area she had once stood, it felt much worse. The air was filled with smoke and she found difficulty in walking over uneven, broken roads. Things seemed familiar, but extremely out of place; as if she had known the place once before but there had been too much change for her to know now. She walked forward again, only to be shocked as someone walked past her and through her. There was an empty feeling as they strode though and she could feel a bit of her being taken out with them. At least, that's how it felt. There was a cold rush of air and she could feel where they walked through. It terrified her. Tears formed in her eyes and her heart began to pain. She could not be seen, heard or felt. She didn't exist.

It was difficult for her to come to terms with that, but she did not have to do so for very long.

"Hey!" a deep voice addressed. She did not care to listen at first, after all, she did not exist, but a forceful hand had pulled her into their line of sight. "How the heck are you and what the damned hell are these things?" Another soldier had called her attention, though this one seemed to be of higher ranking and older age. With the large hat, she could only assume he was a captain. There was a hard, steely look in his narrow eyes and his ridged jaw line gave very little brightness to his complexion. He pulled aggressively at her newly found wings and showed not even the slightest of fear in attending to them. Instead, all fear was replaced with a combination of disgust and annoyance. "This is not a little fairy world for a lady to be prancing around in!" he yelled. "Now you're going to get out of her right now! This area has been evacuated and there are no exceptions!" Val could only stare in amazement.

"You can see me…" she commented to herself. The look of annoyance of the Captain's face only intensified.

"Don't play games with me little lady," he threatened, grabbing at her shoulder and forcing her to another combatant. "Get her out of here Lieutenant!" he barked. Val did not take lightly to being treated so disrespectfully. The man struggled with himself as he attempted to find her. There was a look of pure terror in his eyes as he searched for a girl he could not see. "Well, Lieutenant?" he questioned again, not understanding that she could not be seen and that the fault was his own. The lieutenant looked up at the captain, a look of skepticism tainting his face, and decided to play along as to avoid any trouble. He was sure to tell the others of this little fit of instantly. He pretended to grab an invisible being by the shoulders and escorted her away. What he did not know or see, was that his hands had instead, gone through her upper torso. Even if his hands had only gone through, she could still feel the violation in his act. The Captain stared in amazement at her transparency as she made the effort to slap and push the lieutenant away from herself. She hadn't noticed that she had instinctively done something to him. Val clutched her fists together and opened them quickly with the intention of pushing at the man's chest. A brightly colored dust flew at him and he stopped short as its magic settled in. He blinked slowly before returning to their world and focusing his eyes on her. He was taken aback and she took no time to question what was going on. The moment she was released in all of the panic, she ran off. Her mind was racing as she struggled to decide what to do while simultaneously thinking back to how he had seen her and what she had done to him. She was able to find an alley way to hide temporarily and the first thing she did was stare at her hands. She flicked them again, and again, the light flashed. It was as if she had colored, shiny, and sparkling speckles inside of her. And they made others see her? Well, she wasn't sure what they did, but she would have to investigate at a later time. The sounds of gunshots were too near.

"Captain! It's just a girl! Capturing and killing her would do no good!" It was the voice of the Lieutenant. Val wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that he was trying to protect her. He seemed to be all right in reporting the Captain off as insane only minutes ago. Was it her doing? She hadn't time to think. She dashed out again towards lines of trenches. She felt slower than she had remembered.

"These damned wings," she muttered, noticing how they were catching the air and acting as a parachute. She would have to fly if she wanted to escape. There was no time to make mistakes and allow the fear of falling get in her way. Her heart was pounding as she panicked and used foreign muscles to lift herself from the ground. All she could think of was getting away. There were more gunshots, these closer to her body than the others. She flew higher and above the smoke of fires and bombs. The air was no clearer but her distance was safe. They would waste no more on a girl who had seemingly not existed.

There was nowhere for her to go though. Now that there was a space for her to think, she couldn't think of anyplace she wanted to be. She could decide who she was or where she belonged. Her mind was in pieces and there were too many missing parts. All she knew was that she was Val. She could fly and sprinkle speckles on people. She didn't exist.

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I'd love to get some feedback on my writing style and what you thought of it so far. Sorry about the description of the glittery dust that she emits… I had to avoid the word "glitter" seeing as I wasn't sure if it existed at the time... The story was originally written for my Rise of the Guardians blog, which you could check out on story-of – .com. Thanks again, and until next time.**

**Sydney**


	2. Patty

Val found herself exhausted after only a few minutes into her escape. She had to land, but she didn't know where she would be wanted. It was difficult to predict who could see her and who couldn't so she couldn't just be anywhere. Finally, she was forced to settle in a forested area. She simply had to sit. Her wings were tired. It was a phrase in which she never would have thought would have direct relation to herself.

She needed to stop and think. So much had happened in the last hour or so. What had confused her most (aside from the fact that some people could see her and others couldn't,) was what she had done to the Lieutenant. Val stared down at her hands and again tried to recreate her actions. The sight really was almost sweet. She wanted to use them on a living being again. She strolled about in the forest in search of a small animal and came across small rabbit. She crouched down and flicked her fingers at the rodent and it flinched slightly. It looked up at her and she was almost sure it would run, but instead it advanced slowly and sat between her crouched feet. Val smiled at herself, glad to be making progress with her discovery of her, skill.

There was still the question of the human reaction. Val flew over a small town, finding a greater ease in using her wings. The town was in a similar condition than where she had first come. There was less fire however, which brought her much relief. Slowly, she got lower and lower, gliding quietly just above the heads of the people below. No one had seemed to feel the need to ever look up. It was quite a bizarre phenomenon, though it did make things easier for her. She chose a young woman who seemed to be the daughter poor family. She had a kind and caring face that seemed to feel appropriate as her first candidate. Carefully, she sprinkled speckles of white light above her head and they landed without a trace. Suddenly, the specks reappeared, creating a pink line that guided Val from the woman to a lost soldier that seemed to be doing a routine walk around the area. The light wisped around his head, never touching him. Hesitantly, Val decided to sprinkle speckles onto him as well. Instantly, both blinked simultaneously. There was no other signs that they had been affected by any of the magic she had. In honesty she had felt a bit disappointed that nothing had happened. She really was expecting some sort of grand ordeal. Instead, she continued to watch as the magic slowly unfolded. It was a subtle process, but sure enough, the she bumped into him and they began to speak. There was a spark in their eyes that she noticed and it made her heart warm.

She was curious again though; was this they only love that she could produce? There were other types of course, a love between friends, siblings, family. Val tried again, this time searching for a younger specimen. He was a little boy who seemed to be having a fit with his mother. He had turned red in the face with fight and his mother seemed desperate for help that she wasn't about to receive from anyone around her. Val wanted to help her. She was far beyond curiosity and testing. She was compelled to bring love into her life when no one else wanted to. She could do this for people. She could give them a bit of love.

Smiling, she glided over to them and gracefully allowed her magic to touch them. The child stopped crying, his expression softening as he looked as his mother. She smiled gratefully as he hugged her tightly, fear allowing him to look to his mother for reassurance. The replacement of his anger to fear wasn't particularly what she had in mind but in its own way, it was better.

There was a long period of time in which Val spent experimenting on the magic that she was given. There were so many different types of love that she wasn't aware of but held importance too. There was love between two men and two women. There was love of many at once and love that she did not even need to tamper with. It made her heart warm at the thought that she could provide this, as seeing the pain and suffering was unbearable. She was here, and she was needed, she could see that now. Though her only other thought was that everything seemed too simple. She was given a tremendous amount of power with a very easy task. It was something she didn't need to think about for the moment though. For now, she enjoyed.

* * *

He was a funny looking fellow who clearly stood out from the rest, despite the fact that no one noticed him. As strange as he appeared, there was a comforting feeling to her, knowing that he was also unseen. She inched closer, being weary of her surroundings, not entirely trusting that he would be kind to her. He seemed to be searching for something, though she was not sure. There was a defining bright orange color that painted his hair and beard, combined with contrasting green garments. He was certainly smaller than most men though looked much older. If it were not for the color in his beard, she would have easily guessed him to be an elderly man. Val pondered to herself, wondering what time of the year it was and what possible celebration there could have been. Perhaps he was more like her than she had initially thought. She belonged to nothing, learning much of the topic after having met a talking rodent type animal of which referred to himself as the Groundhog. He was a kind creature, though a bit snippety.

There were so many of them; those who brought happiness to people around them. And often enough, they belonged to what the humans have called 'holidays'. Groundhog Day. Easter. Christmas. However there were also those who merely came from stories, similar to that of the Tooth Fairy or the Boogie Man. Everything she believed to not exist in the truest of forms existed. It terrified her but gave her a sense of reassurance and happiness as well.

But this man, this tiny man, she was not sure what to make of him. There was a feeling in her stomach that she was not particularly pleased with. She looked back and searched for him again, having lost him in the crowd.

"There you are!" a nasally voice said, appearing suddenly from beside her. Her body froze and she made an inhuman noise when she saw that he was sitting next to her. Her heart was pounding; how on earth did he get there so quickly? "You would've thought, with me luck an' all, I would 'ave found ya faster than that," he commented, taking a gulp of a pint he had formed from thin air. He was sitting on a rock with his legs crossed and he appeared to be leaning back on an invisible back support. He was stranger than she had initially thought.

"You're the Leprechaun?" she asked tentatively. His eyes lit up and the pint evaporated as he jumped up out of his seat.

"Aye! Me name's Patty," he introduced himself, bowing and flicking the short tail at the end of his jacket. He had a typical Irish accent as expected. She stifled a small laugh and her wings closed tightly to her body as she tensed in trying to avoid offending the small man.

"Patty? As in, St. Patrick? St. Patrick's Day?"

"That be me. But don't be going round calling me 'Patrick' now. Patty." The sudden seriousness in his tone made Val feel uneasy.

"Right. Patty then," she confirmed, feeling more and more uncomfortable. "You were looking for me?"

"Well, I, I wouldn't be saying that but I found ye didn't I?"

"Guess you have…" She noted quickly that he had not answered her question, but let it pass. "So, what do you want now that you've found me?"

"Eh, just you eternal allegiance to me," he muttered casually. Val sat stunned. She really hoped he was only poking fun at her. He turned with an eerie smile on his face.

"Thought I was serious now didn't ya?" he laughed. Val joined him awkward, her chuckles forced. "But ye seem to be new around yes? Anything you curious about?" For a while, they both sat in silence as she pondered the amount of questions that she possessed. She wasn't sure where to begin.

"Well, of course I've got questions," she began, "I, I guess. I guess I want to know more about, us. What we are." Patty crossed his legs and considered how to answer.

"Hm, that is a very good question. Alright then. We're the creation of people; from the Man in the Moon. He spoke to ye didn't he? When ye first woke, he spoke to ye?" Val nodded, wanting him to continue his story. "Ye were born first of course. Ye lived. Before I mean. You lived in this world as a person, as a human. The Man in the Moon chose you to be one of us when you died; to help other humans forever. You must have done remarkable things to have been chosen. He would have had to deem you worthy of immortality. Of course, you must have died recently seeing as you're new and all. Such an odd and late time to be born at…" Patty muttered the last bit to himself. Val sat silently as he paused to allow her to absorb the information of her death and rebirth.

"I died at such a young age…" she whispered, "I don't appear to be any older than 17."

"Yep, that seems about right," he agreed. He pursed his lips and seemed to reluctantly ask his own question.

"Do you mind me asking, what is it that ye do exactly?"

"What do you mean?" she inquired, turning to fully face him. He didn't bother to look at her in the eye. Instead, Patty seemed more amused and continued half heartedly.

"Well, we've all got our skills and talents and pasts." He made an example of it by producing a piece of gold in his hands. "What's yours?"

"Uh, I have this dust. It can make people feel love. It can make anything feel love actually."

"You make people fall in love? Well, we've already got the Cupid for that, though he's not much good but still!" He tried to make sense of it all and then, with a sympathetic expression, looked at Val. "You haven't really got much purpose then do ye?" This set her off. She felt offended that he could even suggest that she was useless. He honestly described that she was better off dead as life had intended for her to be.

"What about you then?" she accused. "What do you do? Help people waste their lives away with beer and rum?"

"I am luck," Patty stated of-matter-of-factly, "The best of luck can come from just a bit a truth ye know?" With that, he rattled a bottle of rum he had produced and proceeded to take a gulp. Val gave in to his senses; he clearly had none. She sighed and sat down on the grass next to him.

"What are you anyway? You don't look particularly human," she wondered aloud.

"That's because I'm not. I'm a sprite. Come from old Irish Mythology. There're plenty of leprechauns out there but only one me. The Man in the Moon chose me. Not everyone died you know."

"But you just told me that –."

"I told ye that because ye look plenty human," he insisted, cutting her off mid sentence. Val couldn't decide why she was in such an accusatory mood as of late. It was really unlike her. Or was it? After all, she was still new to even her own mind after being reborn. It was possible that she was a very lippy girl who used sarcasm more often that she knew of.

"Right," she said, meaning it as an apology. Then another question came to mind; one that had been haunting her for quite some time. "Can people see you?"

"Some of them can. Only people who believe in ye, can see ye. Can they not see ye?" he inquired.

"No. Only one did. But that was a while back."

"Well that's a darned shame. But don't feel too bad. There are plenty of us out there that can't be seen. Take Jack Frost for example. Been around for about two hundred years now and still no one believes in him. Ye got lucky yourself."

"Jack Frost?" she wondered.

"Aye. Mischievous boy he is. Best not to get involved," Patty warned. She nodded slowly in understanding. Val tried to recall of the questions she had on her first day; when she woke.

"So, everything, all of those stories I've heard about just about anything, they all exist?"

"That'd be right," he confirmed, nodding his head.

"Even Santa Clause?" He grimaced slightly at the name. She wondered if she was even supposed to notice such a small gesture.

"Even him. Though he's called North. Don't think much of him myself."

"Why not? He's Santa Clause!" she exclaimed, letting her excitement get the best of her.

"It's attitude like that that'll get you in trouble!'" he threatened, his attitude suddenly turning for the worse. He obviously had a grudge against Old Saint Nicolas. "Runs the Guardians he does." He practically spat the title out.

"Guardians? How on earth would that get me into trouble?"

"Plenty hate them. The Guardians take away from the rest of us." His face was turning redder than a lightweight with a bottle of wine. Val stood slowly and stepped back. "We don't get nearly as much appreciation because the _Guardians_ are perfect and protecting all the little children around the world, and we're left to the side."

"But they protect us too don't they?" she asked. He turned to her, his face an angry scowl.

"I've had just about enough of this conversation." Patty didn't bother with salutations before disappearing at the stamp of his foot in a puff of smoke.

It seemed odd to her that there was such a rivalry among them. Though he did seem a little bit off and she decided to think nothing of it. After all, he was just a crazy old leprechaun.

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading. I really hope you are enjoying it thus far. I would really love to hear from you all if you have any questions or thoughts concerning the story. It was just make my day **** Thank you again for reading, and see you next chapter.**

**-Sydney**


	3. Tunnel

Val didn't like the idea that she could have been useless. She wanted to prove Patty wrong, because she knew he was wrong. She was useful and she would make sure of it. Besides, the more people who could ever believe she existed, the larger chance of her being seen. She just desperately wanted to be believed in. For a long while, she did everything she could to spread a bit of love and happiness, but found a wall of difficulty. She couldn't just go about giving love to anyone. She had to be sure she wasn't hurting others in giving love to some. That would surly make her redundant. If she made someone fall in love with another while they were not supposed to, things could turn a mess. The problem with her work was that she had to be very tentative and careful. She had to watch over people. She had to get to know them. That where she came across a small issue.

His name was Joey.

He was a boy who Val had meant to partner with a young girl named Cassandra, but never really got around to. Well, actually, it was not that she had forgotten or not had the time. She simply did not want to. They would have been lovely together and they fancied each other quite a lot. But for an odd reason in which she could not fathom, she was unwilling to allow it. He was a handsome boy; a mess of dark hair with brightly colored eyes. Most often dressed in bell-bottom pants and a button down shirt; full of color. He was not full of himself at all but had confidence to spare. Cassandra was a lovely girl herself, with long, flowing, light hair and deep dark eyes. She wore oddly designed dresses with more bright colors decorating it. They would have contrasted and complimented one another beautifully. But she could still not bring herself to do it.

Val kept herself preoccupied so as to not think of the situation. However she never strayed very far from the couple. It was all she could think of. To be perfectly specific, _he_ was all she could think of. It was a form of greed, or so she supposed, to want him to herself. As if it was even possible. She was dead after all. But she still couldn't shake the thought from her mind.

She continued to watch them for weeks, paying close attention to Joey, often glancing at Cassandra to hear her thoughts. Val spent a vast majority of her time doing this, losing herself in watching others. She leaned forward and put her head on her hands, resting them as if there were a table beneath as she had usually done. She stared down at them while they spoke. They seemed so happy and blissful together. Their eyes practically sparkled and glowed at the sight of each other. She could hear the whispers of everyone around them, asking why they were still apart from one another. It was all her fault. Their whispering and blames should have all been on her. She was stopping them. But she felt as if she couldn't help herself. She had only wanted something similar. She wanted what they had. But what could she possibly have. She believed herself dead, though it might not have been the positively correct term for her state.

As she continued to place herself deep into thought, she didn't notice her head slowly lowering; slipping through her hands as if her head alone was human, while her body dead. Further she fell through, and only when she had fallen completely, her heart started. Panicked, she put her hands out at a distance and looked through them, flipping them forwards and backwards, trying to make sense of the situation. She flicked them and noticed that the speckles still fell, not that it had matter. She was disappearing. How was it possible?

Val remembered Patty speaking of a boy named Jack. Jack Frost. He was hundreds of years old and no one believed in him, yet he had not disappeared. So why is it that she was? It was possible that Patty was right about her being useless and unneeded. Perhaps the Man in the Moon had noticed this as well. She was dying all over again.

This would not be the last thing for her to do. If she was at least aware of her death, she would choose how to live the rest of her life.

As quickly as her wings would carry her, she flew down in search of Cassandra and Joey, having lost sight of them in her panic. She needed to find them. She needed to set things right. From the large crowd of brightly colored people, she was finally able to spot Joey. She would make him happy if it was the last thing she did, and it probably would be. Diving down, Val arched before hitting the crowd, allowing speckles to sprinkle atop his head. The reaction was rapid, a line rushing to wherever Cassandra was hidden. Without a second thought, she followed the path, not allowing herself to be distracted by her now translucent feet. Far down below, she made out bright blonde hair and aimed herself there. Sure enough, the red light circled her and Val quickly sprinkled more magic on her. Cassandra stopped mid-stride, paused, and began to run in the direction in which Val had come. She followed her, wanted to witness her final action. She was to high up to hear what they said to each other when they met up, but she had the greatest of ideas; a confession of love, followed by her tears and their smiles. It made her heart warm and she, for once in a long time, felt blissful. It was only when she held her hands together at the sight of them, that she noticed that she was solid again. She held her breath as she scanned the rest of her body and testing parts to ensure their function. Sure enough, everything was back to normal. Val tried to figure out the workings of her situation. How was it possible that she had been revived?

It had taken her quite a while, but it had finally come to her understanding that she could not stop. She could never stop. She would die. There was no other like her; no other who could die further than she. Val couldn't decide which would be worse, being forever forgotten and alone, or dying again. The worst of it was that she hadn't a clue what would have happened if she had disappeared but she was scared of it. She had to suffer through both of the evils but she couldn't decide which was the lesser. Bother frightened her.

She would have to work hard. It was decided that she could never stop. Never, under any circumstances, could she stop doing what she was chosen for; what she reborn for. She would have to do it forever.

* * *

It was another forty or so years until she saw another like herself; or rather, unlike herself. In the spring of the new millennia, Val caught sight of an odd sight. While she was busying herself with creating friendships on a yearly egg hunt, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a brightly painted egg with little feet running about. It was admittedly, not the strangest thing she had ever seen, but it certainly made the list. She did her best to focus on her work, remembering her last mistake in being distracted. Another egg fell out of a bush she was hiding, bumping into her. Val picked it up carefully, noticing that the legs suddenly shrunk back into the egg, and examined it. It was just an ordinary egg colored in purple and yellow paint. There were so many questions that came to mind with it. She wanted to find the Easter Bunny. He had to be around somewhere, seeing as it was very clear that the myth of parents hiding the eggs was untrue.

It had been decided in her mind, that she wanted to find the rabbit, and that she would. Val hid the egg back into the bush it had fallen from and flew upwards to get a better view of where they were coming from. She had to follow the eggs. Backwards. She had never really felt the need to ever look for the Easter Bunny before. She had always known that he could have existed. After all, she often used the egg hunts to create friendships between the children. It was the easiest friendships to forge and she had to do so little work about it.

The eggs had mostly hidden themselves already as the children searched. She would have to search for another time zone in which the day had yet to begin. Tying up a few more bonds before she left, she chose to come back later to finish her work. She flew west, where the sun hadn't touched the land and where the day hadn't begun. She was simply so curious about it all and she needed to know now that she had started. The further along west she went, the most eggs she saw running in the dark and burying themselves near the bottoms of trees or bushes. There were still not enough to lead a path for her to follow. After backtracking a bit, she noticed a trail of eggs running from a rabbit's hole. Val laughed at how typical the rabbit's hole felt in relation to the Easter Bunny. The entrance was small and she was barely able to fit her wings past the dirt walls. After entering however, she saw the stone cave that hidden beneath. It was just tall enough for her to walk in as she slouched. The walls were smooth and rounded off to create a tubular hall that winded into a continued darkness. For a while, she walked aimlessly along the trail, her hand tracing the wall as to not lose her way. Once in a while there were spots of light that shone from the rising sun above ground but they provided only so much light. At the sight of a glow in the distance, she was delighted. Exiting the cave, she could barely see. Her eyes had yet to adjust and she took her time in stretching her cramped back and wings. Slowly the colors and shapes began to form and she could see the wildlife that grew all around her.

The cave was full of immensely large trees that had green even on the trunks of them. There was the illusion of a never ending sky and somehow, rays of light shone through the leaves to touch the grassy earth beneath her feet. Flowers grew in abundance next to a river that seemed to flow of colored dye. Val could only imagine the amount of eggs that must have been wandering around before, diving into the pool of dyes and coming out painted beautifully and prepared for the holiday.

Her thoughts were interrupted with an accusatory voice.

"Oi! Who are you?" the voice called out. "What are you doing here?" His last question sound more like a threat than it did a question. Val jumped from the floor, instinctively taking flight when she was startled, and turned around with wide eyes. It was a giant rabbit. Not really like a giant rabbit the size of a dog and more so like a giant rabbit the size of a fully grown man; larger than her. He appeared to have been trying to sneak up on her, his boomerang held high in the air as if to strike. He stared down at her in shock and quickly tried to hide his weapon behind his back. "Who are you," he repeated.

"You must be the Easter Bunny," Val said, not meaning to be at all sarcastic. She could simply not believe what she was seeing. He was just so much more overwhelming than she had imagined.

"Yea, what of it?" he retorted. Clearly he had taken her statement offensively.

"Well, you're a giant bunny, who else could you have been?" she snapped back, allowing sarcasm to drip through her words.

"Bunnymund," he grumbled. Val was taken aback that he was able to respond in such weakness. She immediately felt poorly for her negative response. She was, after all, intruding on his home.

"Sorry," she muttered shamefully. "I was just so curious," she began to explain. "I saw the eggs and the hole and I just wanted to see what it all looked like. It's so beautiful in here." His eyes softened at the sound of her appreciation for his life task.

"Who're you Sheila?" Bunnymund repeated once more, changing his tone.

"Val. My name's Val."

"Valerie?" he asked. She pondered the name for a moment before deciding against it.

"No. Just Val." Bunnymund nodded in understanding the importance she held in her own name as he did with his.

"Well, I've got to get up top. It's Easter after all," he said, pointing to the roof of this forest.

"Oh, of course. Sorry to just barge in like this. I usually don't but I was just –."

"Curious," he finished for her. "Yea, I got it." He led her to another tunnel that was a bit bigger than the one she had entered through. It was comforting to be able to stand and see for this trip. "Might want to spread those wings of yours Sheila, because you can't out run a rabbit." As he spoke, he leaned forward and started a full sprint down the tunnel. Val chuckled, determined to win the race, even if he had a head start. She opened her wings and jumped, propelling herself forward to meet Bunnymund. She smirked at him as she flapped further, passing him. She could hear him grunting in frustration and she laughed. She never knew she had such competitive spirit but then again, she had never receive the opportunity to realize it. The rush of the wind against her face felt more exhilarating than the usual fear that was induced along with it. Fort the first time since her rebirth, she was flying for fun. Not for means of escape, or transportation, but fun. This was _fun_. She didn't notice as he snuck up behind her and as they exited the rabbit hole and he soared out, beating her to the finish line. After a bit of time to allow them both to pant, Bunnymund stood tall and smirked down at her. On a normal circumstance, Val would have most likely made a witty remark about how unfair the race had been, but she simply did not care. It was bloody fun.

"That was mad!" she exclaimed, clearly pleased. His smirked turned to a grin and he relaxed his posture. They began to make a bit of small talk as they walked about, surveying and monitoring his work without being seen.

"So you're a human then?" he asked as casually as he could. Val rolled her eyes at the sudden conversation change.

"Is it really that big a deal? No other humans to comment on?" she complained half heartedly. She honestly didn't mind the question too entirely but she was curious. Val recalled Patty mentioning one other human boy. Jack Frost. She seemed to be remembering him a lot as of late.

"There is. Don't like him all that much," he replied, his expression irritated at a memory. She confirmed mentally that it had to have been Jack. Patty didn't particularly like him either.

"Why's that?"

"Always messing up spring time. He's all about mischief and snow. Never lets the spring time come as it should. Long story."

"Right," she said. "And he's the only other one with a human form?"

"Well 'course not. There's North. And Tooth and Sandy kind of look human. Pretty close," he replied, shrugging.

"Who?"

"Santa Clause. Saint Nick. Big fellow with the sleigh. Beyond me how he travels with that thing," he clarified, muttering the last sentence to himself.

"And Tooth? The tooth fairy? Her name is Tooth? And Sandy? Who's she?" Val questioned further, thoroughly confused by now. Bunnymund laughed at her comments though she couldn't understand why.

"Toothiana and the Sandman! Can't wait to tell Sandy that one." Val shrunk down a bit, slightly embarrassed of mistaking the name.

"Opps haha, right," she chuckled, "That _would_ make sense. Are you friends with them?"

"They're the Guardians. Myself included. We protect the children of the world." He appeared to be making a heroic speech to an invisible audience. She laughed to herself as he went on about the brilliance of the Guardians' work and such other things.

"Sounds like you guys are pretty amazing," she commented when he took the time to breath.

"Well, don't mean to brag, but yea," he agreed. She laughed at the surprising amount of conceitedness hidden in his being; more amused by it than she was annoyed.

"Do you think I'll ever meet the other Guardians?" she asked timidly, allowing her curiosity to glow. Bunnymund pondered the question before answering.

"Have you ever stuck around a neighborhood at night? Right when the little ankle-biters head off to sleep?" he replied, countering her question with a couple of his own. She shook her head and he seemed to be genuinely surprised at her answer. "Why?" he asked. She shrugged. Of course she had her reasons, but she felt no need to speak of her small problem with him.

"Why would I?" she said, "No one's awake and I can't do much if there're out anyways. I spend my time in places where it's day or out in the city where there are late night parties and dates I can attend to. Why would I bother otherwise?"

"Really work-oriented aren't you?" he noted.

"And what's wrong with that?" Val snapped, raising her eyebrow and placing her hand on her hip.

"Nothing!" he said, raising his arms as a sign that he meant no harm or foul. "Just seems boring you know? Never taken a break? Relaxed? Enjoyed?" Val stared hard at the ground, remembering the last time she had. It was enjoyable, but much too terrifying to return to.

"Once," she replied stiffly, sticking her index finger up to emphasize the finality in the matter. "And I never will again." He looked at her with a questioning expression. "I really just don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I guess you won't see much of the other Guardians then…" he muttered, scratching the side of his head. She mentally thanked him for not prying at the subject in which she was uncomfortable discussing. "You might bump into Jack though." He made a face showing his disgust at the possibility. "He's in it for the fun. That's all. Makes a mess wherever he goes and lucky you it's always day time when he does it."

"And then maybe I'll finally find out why it is that you detest him the way you do," she laughed. He didn't seem to find it entirely funny.

"Trust me, you don't want to."

"Right, well, I really should be going. Thank you so much for letting me see everything. It was gorgeous." Bunnymund gleamed at the comment, seeming to never have enough compliments.

"Thank you, but where are you headed?" he asked. She smirked.

"Well like you said, I'm a work-oriented girl. Duty calls." With that, Val curtsied and ran, before taking off into the sky. Her fun was over but she was glad she had to chance. It was a bit a lie to say that she never took a break. Exploring the cave and meeting Bunnymund; that was her break. And it was fantastic. She really did hope for more, but for now, she had to focus on not allowing herself to slip away forever. Besides, the day had only just begun here and she had plenty of work on her palette.

**Author's Note: Phew that was a long chapter. I got really drowsy by the end of writing this so I apologize if there are pacing issues or gaps... Anyways, I'd love to hear what you think of it so far! I thought it would be a nice twist to give Val a life or death situation. I promise the other Guardians (including Jack) are on their way! I just need to continue preparing. Thanks so much for reading and I hope to see you next chapter!**

**-Sydney**


	4. Attack

The thought of seeing others intrigued her. But only slightly. There was a balance between her fear in disappearing and her curiosity in meeting others, the other Guardians, but decided against it. Val was a strong believer of fate, and if fate should have it, then she would certainly encounter another soon enough.

She felt as if keeping track of time was becoming more and more of an extraneous task. She was slowly forgetting how long she had been on earth and even when the last time she had made conversation. From her short memory, she could only assume that it had been a little over ten years. Then she got hit in the ear with a snowball.

It wasn't as if she had been standing about either. Val was in a tree, monitoring the children below. It really hurt, getting hit in the ear with snowball. However perfect the snowball was and however soft it may have been, there was nothing equal to that of the cold frostbite feeling that she felt on the side of her head. There would surely be a bruise, not to mention that she was now slightly damp. Val whipped her head towards the direction of the throw, only to be faced with another oncoming projectile. Instinctively, her right wing rose to block the snow. It was definitely less painful than to the face. Her temperament was poor now. There was a boy, not too far off in the distance. He was looking right at her with a cheeky grin on his face. In all honesty, Val was taken aback by the boy. He was certainly not mortal as he floated in the air. He had no shoes for such cold weather and only a torn pair of brown pants and dark blue hooded sweater shielded him otherwise. But that was not why she was taken aback. He was _attractive_. At least, she thought so. His silver hair caught her attention immediately and she wanted to take a closer look. Hoping that she had not be staring for too long a period of time, she composed herself and propelled her body forward, pushing off from the tree branch in which she was sitting on. It was meant to seem intimidating, for she was still very upset. Val stopped inches from this boy.

"Hey, I'm Jack. Jack Frost," he said. She tried not to grimace at the sound of his name, giving him the benefit of the doubt. This was the boy Bunnymund was talking about.

"Val," she introduced bluntly, "What do you think you're doing?" She made sure her voice sounded deep and threatening to show her seriousness.

"Having fun, Angel," Jack replied, shrugging his shoulders and grinning his perfect teeth at her.

"And the snowball?" she prompted, trying to make him feel even the slightest bit guilty of throwing it. "It hurt. Apologize."

"Why? You need to loosen up, Angel. It was just a bit of fun. No need to be a stick in the mud," Jack rolled his eyes and stepped away through the air. He didn't get very far before she took hold of his shoulder and swung him back round.

"Excuse me!?"

"You're excused," he said casually. He was mocking her.

"I am not a stick in the mud!" she continued, again not allowing him to walk away and escape from the conversation. His eyes widened, shocked that he was actually being yelled at and that he had offended her.

"I'm kidding! Sort of. You were smiling and really happy but you look really tired so I thought I'd have a bit of fun with you. That's what I do! Snowballs and fun times!" Her expression hadn't changed and he sighed deeply, giving up on trying to talk his way out of the situation. "Look, I'll fix this okay? Just, just close your eyes." Val looked at him skeptically, questioning whether or not she should begin to trust this boy, no matter how attractive she did find him. There was just something that wasn't right. After all, he was Jack Frost. And Bunnymund had warned her about him. "I won't throw another snowball at you I promise!" She sighed heavily and shut her eyes, making extreme effort to enhance her other sense as to not entirely allow herself to him. He chuckled to himself light-heartedly. "You really need to loosen up angel," he whispered. Suddenly, there was a cold touch on her nose and her mind flew about. She smiled and opened her eyes to see Jack's cheeky grin. A giggle produced from her throat. Val flew straight up and flipped backwards towards the ground, scooping a handful of snow as she glided just above.

"Alright Jack, you want to have fun? This is how you make a real snowball!" There was little warning when she made full circle and threw the powder into Jack's face. She couldn't help herself from laughing at his stunned reaction half covered in snow. He shook his head, ridding himself of excess and a mischievous expression grew on his face.

It was a shock that no one had picked up on their appearances though it was possible that simply no one saw them.

Her wonderment was quickly dashed as she stood in the snow, gathering more to throw. A child ran by and the feeling as he passed through the lower half of her body nearly made her heart stop. It was as if reality had come crashing down, adding more weight than she felt like she could handle. A chill went up and down her spine and her body went stone cold. She remembered what she should be been doing and why she did it. Val dropped the handful of snow she had collected and held her arms together, willing for the cold to leave her. There was a specific odd feeling within the fingertips of her right hand. Only her right hand. Suspicions of what it could have been attacked her mind and casually, without wanting to draw attention to it, she glanced down at her hand. She had no finger tips. Val's hand looked as if her fingers were slowly becoming transparent, a gradient of invisibility traveling down to her palm. She clenched her hand into a fist to hide herself.

"I have to go," she said dully. There was no emotion in her voice. It was all she could do not to panic. Jack's face became shrouded with confusion. He landed and stepped towards her. She could hear his footsteps behind her and matched the sound of crunching snow. Jack stopped when he noticed that she didn't want to close their distance.

"Why? Aren't you having fun?" he asked. Val bit her lip.

"Yea. That's the problem."

"I don't understand…" Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she flinched away violently, pushing herself as far as possible from him.

"Stay away from me!" Val yelled. There a measure of hurt in his eyes and she refused to see it, knowing full well that she would cry if she did. However little Val had known him for, it was still her fault that he had been hurt. He still had feelings that she could effect and she didn't want to see pain on anyone's face; especially when she could do nothing to help it.

It was all his doing. He distracted her. Kept her from doing her work. Kept her from remembering to survive. There was something he had done. Something that changed her mind and made her want to spend her time doing nothing but through snowballs. She couldn't understand it, but he had done something. "This is your fault," Val accused, turning away from Jack so he couldn't see her as she hid her frustration. "I don't know what you did, but this is your fault."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Jack retorted, seeming to be over the pain and onto anger and confusion. Mostly anger.

"I know," she replied solemnly. He stepped forward, taking her moment of silence as an opportunity. She only flinched away again. "Stay away from me!" He stepped back, a look of confusion and hurt on his face; combining to look like betrayal. It hurt her to see but she had to go. One day, it may have been possible to tell him. One day, she may be able to fix and understand everything that was going on.

* * *

Everyone has bad days right? Everyone gets bad luck from time to time. But was it supposed to last weeks? Months? Years? Was it supposed to stop her from living?

Her condition never got much worse. Her finger tips were still the only ones to have disappeared and she still seemed to have full use and control over them. Though, imagine how bizarre it must have been to use a part of herself that she could not see. Her perception of where they were was very warped and difficult. However her condition did not seem to worsen, it did not get any better. They were still gone.

It was a condition in which she was actually quite comfortable with. And it was only because her decreasing amount of energy that she was glad. She was getting weaker. Her magic was getting weaker and she couldn't understand why it was happening. Well, of course she understood why; people were falling out of love. She was making too many mistakes. Things weren't going as according to plan.

And the longer Val thought about her situation, and the longer she had to panic, the more and more she blamed him. It all started because of him. She didn't know what he did. But everything was his fault. All of it because of Jack Frost. But that still didn't explain the bad luck. He said he was fun, and she didn't doubt that he was. Thinking, she glanced down at her hands again and decided the mystery was best left for another time when she could afford to stop and think.

The night was slowly coming upon her and frankly, she couldn't be bothered to move locations and time zones; she really didn't have the time. It was a new moon, meaning there was no light to shine her way, no Man in the Moon to guide her. Not that he ever had. Val found it difficult to trust someone who did so little for her. He wasn't never there for her and it seemed as if he was never there for anyone. He only chose those who would become like her. That was all. Somehow, he had his reasons, but it was unlikely she herself would ever find out. Distracted by her thoughts, Val didn't notice a creeping shadow behind her. Instead, she spotted a group of teens and landed nearby in hopes to spark young puppy love. It was the easiest to do, and although it was hardly as permanent as she would have liked, it would do to give her time to find something that was. To be fair, the shadow was fairly low to the ground; even the body was smaller than her regular line of sight. It was the sound that she first noticed. Val couldn't be certain of what she was hearing, seeing as she had never once heard it before. It could only be described as laughter; small bodies filled laughter. But somehow, she could hardly compare such sounds of laughter to those she had heard come from children. These were not the happy laughs of happy children. This sound gave her goose bumps and a very uneasy feeling. It scared her. Val froze by the tree she stood by, deliberating whether or not she should turn around or if she should just run. Her curiosity battled with her fear as the seconds passed and the laughter drew closer. of course her curiosity won got the best of her and she whipped her head around and downwards when she was met with nothing. She wasn't sure if she should have been glad for the darkness or upset with it. They were small dark creatures and she could hardly make out any of the details to them except for their eyes. She could see a human shape but they were much too small and with mature looking bodies to be human. Val ruled out the possibility of it being a strange sort of prank by local children. She stepped back slowly at first, not wanting to startle them. There was no telling what they had wanted but if she could avoid injury it would be ideal. The group was fairly large, being able to fill at least a small child's inflatable pool, and their steps seemed uniform though their formation scattered. It was a mass of eyes. Val was shaking now, fear clouding over her as they neared.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking noticeably. "What are you? What do you want from me?" She was through with being brave and holding her ground. She was through with waiting to see if they were misunderstood or friendly. She was just scared. Val turned away and flew off as fast as her wings could take her. She thought that the end of it. Suddenly, a strong wind came about, pushing her and forcing the air to hit her wings at just the wrong angle. She was forced to land again. Upon touching the ground, she glanced back to see how far she had gone. It wasn't far enough clearly as the small black creatures sped up, their laughter drawing nearer. Her heart was racing and she ran ahead, meeting more obstacles than she could count; roots threatening to grab her feet and trip her, rocks that did the same, wind that caught in her wings, and the odd person who got in her way. Looking back every now and then, it seemed like the creatures were having no trouble passing and they gained on her. Determined to lose them, Val made a sharp turn into a larger empty clearing, hoping to gain speed with less obstacles. She was beginning to tire and had little time left to make her escape, if she were to make it.

No one was around to witness what happened next. There was not even the hope that a human would witness it; somehow see her.

The creatures came upon, one by one climbing up her legs and to her torso, weighing her down until they pulled her to their level. Screaming, she began to panic and flail. She could feel little fingers and nails and hands reaching out at her, clawing and striking. Val herself was clawing at the air, pushing the creatures away and desperately trying to stand or even sit. Their weight was surprising and she soon found difficulty in her breaths. There was so little oxygen going to her brain from either her hyperventilation or the suffocation she was experiencing. Her voice had gone with the what little air she had left and movement had begun to exhaust her. The only things that were still racing about were her heart and her mind. The panic had still yet to disappear but she could do almost nothing about it which only caused her to panic more. The laughter was deafening. In the darkness, it began to drive her mad in coexistence with her terror. She was trapped. She couldn't breathe. She could see. She couldn't move. Val was going to die all over again. And the worst part was that she didn't understand why. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as it seemed to be the only thing she was capable of anymore.

There was nothing more as silence fell. Even the creatures had stopped their laughter. They scattered soon after and waited. Waited for what was still to come.

**Author's Note: Hello! Yes it's been a while. I had a rough time with deciding how to word this chapter and I do believe I had to back track and rewrite it quite a number of times so please to excuse me. I hope you enjoy it! I would love to hear what you think and your assumptions about the plot. They would certainly interest me. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you next chapter! **

**-Sydney**


	5. Plan B

Her wakening was violent.

Val's eyes shot open as she inhaled harshly, forcing air into lungs so quickly that it pained her and she began a coughing fit. Her throat burned at the pain and she fell back onto the ground, smacking her head against it. The pit of her stomach was complaining from soreness that she was not sure what to do with. She decided to get sit up and attempt to find something to stop it. There must have been something around that would help.

The surroundings were unfamiliar; certainly not where she had been attacked. Tree towered around her, creating a wall, enclosing her to her position. It reminded her only slightly of Bunnymund's home but this differed greatly in aura. She was lost, scared and intimidated. In a sense, she searched for the large monuments of eggs and tunnels labeled with the outlines of the continents they led to. Instead there were only trees and grass; small rays of light littering the patchy ground. She needed to stand and leave. There was something she was doing. Something she was scared of. Val brushed the soil from her skirt and remembered her fingers. It had gone to her hands now. Her eyes shut tightly in frustration and she wondered how long she had been out for. It had to be mended. She had to get out.

"Ah, you're awake," a familiar voice commented, growing closer. The footsteps were known to her as well and she flinched at the sound of them. It was strange to somehow connect the voice and the sound of the footsteps; one with a positive connotation and the other with a negative one. She turned around to be confronted with a leprechaun.

"Patty?" Val whispered, noticing that her voice felt strange from disuse. What was he doing here?

"Aye. You alright there, Pet?" Patty's hand reached out to touch her forehead. She refused to be completely swayed from her suspicions.

"How did you find me? What happened?"

"Saw you lying about on the floor. Red caught my eye," he explained, pointing at her dress. It seemed like a half hearted lie, even in her state of confusion, but she let it pass.

"Where am I?" Patty paused and paced around her for a moment, his hands behind his back to seem as if he was deep in thought.

"Well that's a very good question Pet. I couldn't very well tell you though." She looked up at him skeptically. She couldn't understand what he was going on about. The mischievous grin on his face gave her the idea that she most likely would not want to know otherwise. She moved on.

"Did you see what attacked me then?"

"Attacked you? Is that what happened then? Oh my. That can't be good. Sounds like the Guardians aren't doing much of their job eh Pet?" Val seemed distasteful now. She couldn't understand what this had to do with the Guardians in the slightest. Did Patty despise them this much to place random bits of blame upon them? It seemed petty and unnecessary.

"What would that black mass of… well, whatever it was, have to do with the Guardians? You seem to make them out to be much worse than they really are. I've met one!"

"Oh you have, have ye? Well then I clearly gave you too much credit than you were worth. They don't protect us like you think they do! Just because they're the ones who are the most believed in! Just because they're the ones the children like most! Doesn't mean they're any better than us. All they do is bask in some make-belief glory and leave the rest of us to dust. What kind of Guardian is that?" Patty's face had gone bright red again. The fury boiling up inside of him caused Val to flinch away, fear growing in her eyes. She was hardly in any condition to fly off, though she might have been able to run. He was sure to catch up with her if she did. She wanted to be just as furious as he was; not knowing where she was, not knowing what had attacked her or why she was attacked. She was scared and confused and she had every right to be upset but right now she just wanted to run. He really was just a mad leprechaun. As soon as he saw her fear, his anger worsened. "Fine! I tried to save ya Pet! But you're far gone from savin'!" His body tensed together and he stomped his foot. Her entire surrounding disappeared and she was left in the field in which she had fallen. Hesitantly, she stood, her legs still shaking. Val knew she lost a lot of time in the darkness. She wouldn't have the time for her questions to be answered. But then again, she had eternity to live if she could be believed in.

It was him again. The boy who had distracted her. The one who only wanted to ever have fun. Jack Frost. The boy who had made her smile and laugh. The boy she violently pushed away.

She kept her distance at the sight of him. Val wasn't sure what he had done to distract her before, but she couldn't afford to let it happen again. She was much too busy. In fact, she was surprised at his presence. The last time she saw him, she recalled a horrible goodbye.

"Hey Angel," he greeted, floating down to the statue in the middle of a fountain and planting himself on its head. He grinned as if he had a secret and looked at her intently. She wished he would stop, it was distracting her enough as it was.

"Val," she reminded him curtly, trying not to encourage his presence. He shrugged her poor behavior off. He didn't seem to feel the need to talk to her aftwards. Instead, he sat and watched as she flew by him, following couples back and forth. She was glad to have found such a good spot for her work, but if this was somewhere Jack found himself often, then it would be rendered as useless. He made no move to leave. Sighing, she paused to address him. "Is there anything you need? Or can you get on with your life and leave?"

"Yea, I thought you'd never ask," he replied with a satisfied grin. Val desperately wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. "You know the Man in the Moon?" She didn't look at him when she spoke and pretended to be focused on a couple instead.

"What of him?"

"He asked me to come get you." Her mind immediately found itself distracted with that thought. The Man in the Moon had made no contact with her for years. What would he need her for? Suddenly, Jack flew in front of her to catch her attention. "He needs a little help. And luck you; you get to join the Guardians." The name rang clear in her ears and Patty's face returned. She couldn't help but think poorly of both names.

"Are you a Guardian?" she asked with genuine curiosity, though her tone might have suggested otherwise. She seemed to be in a very hostile mood.

"Yea," he replied, his chest puffing out with pride.

"Then I want no part of it." It was an easy decision for her. He would only distract her from her work. The whole idea of the Guardians seemed like a big distraction from her work. She didn't want to disappear. "Besides, if I don't do my job then…" Her voice trailed off. For a moment, she almost told Jack her secret. Completely unnecessary. "Then who will?" she finished, saving herself a long explanation. "There's a lack of love in the world Jack, as clichéd as it sounds, there is. People are abusing it and they treat it like it has no value. That can't keep going on and I need to fix it." At first, she thought she had silenced him, his expression blank, but it wasn't long before he came to. He became more serious when he spoke again.

"That's probably why he needs you. He doesn't exactly talk to us and we have just about as much information as you do from him. But there was an attack at the Tooth Palace. We don't know what it was but it looked bad. He summoned you. We don't know why, but he did. And that's all the excuse we need to come and get you." His blind trust in the Man in the Moon was amusing to her. If he was meant to be so trustworthy, then why would he give her such a burden as to constantly be worried of disappearing from the world?

"And you were sent to fetch me," she said, annoyed at the situation; though it remained true that she would be lying in saying that she wasn't concerned for Tooth and the palace. She herself was attacked only months earlier and could sympathize.

"More like I volunteered," he replied, his grin returning. "Wanted to talk you into coming along before we resorted to Plan B. Which was originally Plan A, but I personally though this would run over a little better."

"Well you were wrong. You're distracting and need to go." She took off before stopping to think. "Wait, Plan B?" Val didn't receive a response before a large hand took hold of her ankle and pulled her downwards, shoving her into a dark, velvet sack. She flailed and screamed, knowing that only her captors would hear her.

The trip was short and bumpy. Clearly whoever was carrying her had no regard for her wings or body in general. She was sure to receive quite the bruising later on. Val could feel herself being swung and suddenly being thrown through the air and landing on a hard floor. The opening of the bag shone with light and she lifted it. She squinted her eyes at the figures that began to form in front of her. She recognized the dark blue form of Jack's sweater but saw hardly anyone else.

"Ah, Val! You are here! I see we went with Plan B! Works every time!" a voice laughed heartily. There was a strong Russian accent and as her eyes came to focus, she could see it was coming from a large man with a while beard and tattoos lining both his arms. The red jacket, however, was the tipping point.

"You're Santa Claus. North," she said blatantly, and quickly added with a sarcastic tone: "Oh, and yes, I absolutely love being shoved into a sack and kidnapped." He laughed again.

"Good, that was my idea. What I tell you Jack?" She could see Jack rolling his eyes. All she could do was stare at North in disbelief. She wasn't sure what she would have expected from seeing Santa Claus but this was certainly not it. Though truly, her expectations were made of a parent's ideal hero for their child. It made sense that North acted more human than he did saintly. Cautiously, she crawled out from the sack and stood. Val looked around the rest of the room in awe and noticed three other obviously misplaced characters, as well as a handful of large furry beasts and clusters of elves. The room itself was very grand. Behind her was an enormous globe that was decorated with a millions of small lights. The floors were tiled uniquely and the windows that spanned through most of the walls were stained colorfully. Turning her attention back to the other three Guardians, she could see that they were all in their own little worlds. One was sleeping where he stood, another was flittering about, and seeming to arrange smaller versions of herself, and the other was Bunnymund. It was interesting to see a familiar face among the ranks. He appeared to be wrapped up in polishing his boomerang though she couldn't help but wonder if he was paying attention to her at all. These were the Guardians though. These were the very Guardians that Patty had talked so poorly about. And yet, she could see nothing worth hating them for. Yes, they seemed to have grander equipment and more help, but that was nothing to be hateful over. They really did have much more to do. Slowly however, the noise was becoming maddening and Val raised her voice as she spoke.

"Would anybody care to tell me why I'm here?" They all turned to look at her and the chatter died down slightly, the only sounds coming from the workshop below. "Because I'd love to know. I'd only be too happy to be on my way."

"Ah no, no, no," North panicked, stepping in front her and blocking her path. He made a big motion of grabbing her shoulders and shook them lightly when he spoke for emphasis. "You are Guardian now! You cannot go!" Her eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and frustration. Music began playing from a small band of elves and the large hair beasts placed garlands around her neck. North went ahead and picked up a large book the size of his head. She looked around the room in search of understanding, only to find Jack attempting to escape the celebrations and holding back his laughter. Having become completely fed up, Val took the garland from her neck and threw it at the elf playing the bugle horn which stopped him abruptly.

"A Guardian?" she asked, clearly upset with the situation. North stepped back slight, closing the book. "What makes you think I want to be a Guardian? Why would I want to be a Guardian at all? I don't have time for this." She made her move to leave, spreading her wings and edging the guardrails. Before she could take off, the Tooth Fairy flew between her and her exit and separated the two.

"But the Man in the Moon chose you. And we have to trust his decisions. He's never been wrong. Not even when we thought he has. You're a Guardian." She looked very sincere and caring, and Val's heart seemed to melt just a little bit. Something in the way she spoke felt warm to her. She continued to refuse to stay, but allowed the fairy to turn her back to face the others.

"Why no one want to be Guardian?" North asked, directing his comment towards who Val guessed to be the Sandman. He merely shrugged and turned his attention back to the goblet in his hand.

"Look," Val began to explain, "I've got enough work to do as it is. And even working around the clock, I've got as much power as the Groundhog." Bunnymund snickered. "The longer I stay here, the more time I'm wasting." She gently pushed the Tooth Fairy aside and walked back to the railing. Thinking, she must have been in the North Pole, meaning she was miles away from civilization, and miles away from regenerating her magic. She had no idea how they had gotten her in such a speed, but she only hoped she could fly far enough to get back.

"Told ya North. It's not just me that has issues with being a Guardian." It was Jack's voice that spoke, and Val nearly stopped to ask what he had meant.

"You can't just leave Sheila." This voice had her turning back. Just as she was about ready to tell Bunnymund that she could do whatever she wanted, North jolted forward. He held a battle stance and his eyes flickered and scanned the room. He must have issued some sort of command she had missed, because the entire room had become silent and the air was thick. Even the others had turned stiff. She listened closely and flinched when she heard it. It was the eerie sound of the laughter; the one that unlike that of a child's. A chill went down her spine and she could feel her body shaking again. Those dark little creatures had returned. It was impossible to mistake.

**Author's Note: Sorry for my long bout of disappearance. I simply had no motivation to write whatsoever and suddenly felt the desire to write about 2000 words in an hour. Thank you for those who are willing to stick around long enough to discover the mysteries of this story. And to those who have tried to guess what Val is, I'll give you a hint: She's not cupid.**

**I love hearing from you all so don't be afraid to drop me a review! And thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. **

**-Sydney **


	6. Trapped

The Tooth Fairy flew forward and pulled Val back towards the other Guardians. There seemed to be a motherly need to protect and Val could feel it as well. As frightened as she was, she did have firsthand experience with the creatures, however little information she knew of them. Their darkness rose along the walls as they climbed the stairs. The masses moved like mounds of ants and she shuddered at the image. There were thousands of them at least and her mind began to race for ways of escape. She looked on either side of her and could see the Guardians arming themselves. Looking down at herself, Val noted her lack of weaponry. Refusing to be as defenseless as she had been in her first encounter, she scanned her more immediate surroundings and found a short staff. It would do nicely enough. She would help as much as she could no matter what, even if she hadn't a clue what to do. She went to grab it with her right hand, only to remember it had vanished. Thankfully, her case hadn't worsened since she last saw. The short staff began to change color as she unintentionally coated it with her magic. She didn't care to notice as it could only help her battle. Instead, she focused on the closest of the creatures. They had made their way to the level in which the globe stood and begun to engulf it, running around it like it was a small and trivial obstacle. Val wished she could at least see their faces, or perhaps it was best that she didn't. But nothing could compare to the haunting laughter that ensued. She was shaking noticeably, though she hoped no one would see. They came nearer and nearer, before stopping only a few feet before them. They seemed to stare at the Guardians, hungering for them, literally. Val gulped loudly and tightened her grip on the staff. With her nerves getting the best of her, she cried out and wildly took a swing at an area of the black mass. There was a sharp hissing shriek as a clump retreated and even areas who remained untouched began to recoil. The other Guardians stared at her with an equal amount of confusion, but took her lead to begin their attack. There was little need for their assault as the creatures quickly began to draw back, returning quickly from whence they came. Val could hear a loud huff and she turned to look at North, who was sliding his twin swords back into their sheaths.

"You see? This is why we need you! You are Guardian!" he stated, gesturing out to the now vanished creatures. Val shook her head and threw the staff to the ground, feeling as if she feared holding it. She had no idea what had happened when she swung but it only seemed to prove her worth to them.

"What are you talking about? Those things would have been scared of just about anything! I mean look at me! What's so terrifying about me?" she retorted. It sounded too much like he was making an excuse to make her stay. She still didn't want to be part of anything with regards to the Guardians. She had work to do; work that kept her alive. North sighed heavily.

"Tooth, you talk to her! You're both females! You can talk to her better, yes?" The Tooth Fairy flew forward without a second thought.

"Val, I'm not sure you understand just how dire this situation is." Tooth tilted her head to one side and her tone warmed again. Her words ran quickly and Val struggled to keep up. "Those things were scared of you."

"They've captured me before! They aren't scared of me," Val interrupted, trying to prove her words false.

"They are. It's your magic. Or at least, it would look that way. Please Val. We need you." Her expression was somber and sad. She seemed to be begging. Judging from the colors that decorated her, Val would have guessed the Tooth Fairy to be a more of a flamboyant character. She must have truly been in a grim mood to be talking to her in such a somber matter. She began to fiddle with her fingers as she often did under situations of great stress but placed her hand back at her side too quickly when she remembered. Tooth noticed and took hold of her right arm. She gasped at the sight and Val was only too glad that her back faced the other Guardians. She looked up at Tooth with scared eyes, begging for her not to say a word. Tooth's gaze never broke as she slowly placed Val's arm down in front of her dress.

"I can't stay. It's just not possible." She turned around and said her goodbyes before stepping onto the railing and opening her wings. She didn't make it very far before her body collapsed. An immediate fatigue had come upon her and she slowly fell down towards the lower floor.

Jack was the first to react as he dove down after her. He caught her in his arms and they landed lightly on a workbench of one of the yetis. Her lids opened slightly and she seemed more upset than she was relieved.

"This is all your fault."

"What?" Jack exclaimed, feeling the need to drop her to the floor. "My fault? If I hadn't come to catch you you'd be a pile of Angel mush about now!" He wanted to press further but held his tongue when he saw her hand lying on her stomach; or the lack of. Val pursed her lips and looked away, irritated that she had needed his help.

"That isn't what I'm talking about," she muttered, pushing her hand under the folds of her skirt and slumping back into his arms. She really was exhausted and she didn't have the energy to fight with him at the moment. She had been distracted for too long and even before having been kidnapped, Val was feeling the difficulty of keeping up with her work. People were simply too keen on making promises they had no intentions of keeping. When they arrived back at the level she had fallen from, Jack gently helped her stand and she pulled away, insisting on carrying her own weight. She was, in any case, strong enough for that. At least for the moment.

She would have to reveal everything at this point. She could think of no other option seeing as she couldn't even leave this place. It was either explaining, or walking from the North Pole. The others watched her patiently, observing that she was about to speak. Her entire faced scrunched together as she upset herself in thinking about how fragile she must have appeared. Taking a deep breath, she began to explain her situation as best she could in the shortest amount of time possible.

"I've been disappearing," she said bluntly, finding the statement to be both true and possibly telling. At least she wouldn't have to think of what to say when they started with their questions.

"Disappearing how?" North asked seriously. Val noticed the small golden question mark that appeared over the Sandman's head and was slightly amused.

"Well, as you may have noticed, my powers are gone now that less and less people believe in me, though I'm not really sure what I am. But I've also been starting to actually disappear." She lifted her hand from behind her skirt and allowed the others to stare in confusion and fear. She could hear a sharp inhalation at the sight and many of them seemed to turn from confusion to worry. The only one who didn't seem perplexed was Toothiana, who only had deep concern on her face. When Val felt as if she had had enough of acting as a circus attraction, she hid her missing hand and continued to explain. "It doesn't look like it happens to anyone else. I don't know why. I don't even know how to fix it. But I think I understand why it starts." She turned to face Jack in particular before she went on." This seems to only happen when I get mad. Like, really mad. Sometimes I get so mad, I hate people. Specifically you Jack." At the sound of the accusation, Jack flinched back, offended.

"That's not exactly a hard thing to do Sheila," Bunnymund chuckled, holding his paws up and checking his short claws as he spoke. Jack threw a glare in his direction.

"What I'm saying is, I think every time I feel hatred I start to disappear a little more. Like, the Man in the Moon doesn't need me if I hate others."

"Wait a second, why me?" Jack interrupted, shaking both his head and hand as he approached Val. She turned away from him as soon as he stepped ahead. "What do you hate me for?" he continued, "It's not like I've done anything bad to you. In fact, all I've done is be nice to you and you've been nothing but hostile Angel. What have I done to deserve your complete and utter hatred?"

"You distract me!" Val turned to face him as she yelled and didn't expect that he would be so close by. As she whirled around, her blonde hair brushed his face and she found herself an inch from touching his nose with hers. She immediately recoiled and flushed. "You distract me," she repeated, "from my work. And the fewer people believe in me, the more of my power I lose. I don't know what to do, so I guess I get angry." When Jack appeared like he was about to offer a retort, Toothiana flew between the two of them, pushing him back and looking at him with a warning of patience in her eyes.

"Alright," she started, turning to face Val, "Now that we understand a little more about each other, do you think you could tell us about those things?" She didn't have to explain what she was talking about for the whole room to understand her meaning.

"I've seen those creatures before," Val said, a serious atmosphere falling around her. "They attacked me a while back. I don't know what they are or what they do exactly but I know they're powerful enough to abduct and overpower a person."

"Well with those numbers, they could overpower all of us," Bunnymund commented. "They only real question is: how do we beat them?" He had pulled out his boomerang again and was tossing it up and down. The Sandman jumped forward and the golden sand on his head moved about and created symbols furiously.

"What is it Sandy?" North asked and Val chuckled as the way he spoke reminded her of the way owners addressed their pets. Sandy continued to attempt to communicate before deciding a single arrow that pointed directly at her. Val cocked her head. "Yes! Yes, yes yes! You! They are scared of you! Ah, I forget thing. What is your center?" No one but herself seemed shocked at his seemingly random outburst.

"My center?" she asked, glancing down at her torso.

"Yes, yes your center! Man in Moon chose you! So you must have something very special inside," North continued, walking towards her and emphasizing his words by pointing her chest.

"What do you mean my center?"

"What makes you a Guardian? What makes you so important that the Man in the Moon chose you? Or even brought you here?" Jack interpreted.

"I don't really know," Val muttered, thinking about what she had done since her rebirth. "I suppose I was brought here to help people discover love in their lives? I mean, that is what I do. I make people feel love. That's what my magic does. Induce love. So I guess..."

"Yes! Your center is love! Good!" North cried out with a great sense of satisfaction in his voice. He picked Val up by under her arms and she swung like a ragdoll as he hugged her. She didn't have the energy to fight him in the slightest.

"Woah woah woah wait!" Bunnymund said, barging into North's celebrations. "We've got Cupid for that. His center is love." Val gave him her own sarcastic remark from North's arms.

"Well if I'm here, than Cupid must not be doing a very good job now is he?" She did have a point. Two Protectors with the same center? It was unheard of but under the circumstances, it was difficult to argue.

"Cupid has been missing for a long time…" Toothiana thought aloud, "I wonder what happened to him." She turned her head to face one of the smaller fairies and they shrugged collectively.

"No matter, we has Val now! You are Guardian now, yes?" North declared, putting the small girl down. She looked at her feet and fidgeted with the folds of her skirt, debating the option. It wasn't as if she could do much else for herself at this point. She could barely leave the building without collapsing. And it was difficult to tell if she would even have enough magic to continue her work even if she did make it back to civilization. Val would just have to accept their help and hope that it would be worth her time. It's not as if she had much more to lose.

"Yea, I guess I'll be a Guardian," she grinned, her fatigue beginning to show in her expression. "It's not like I can get around by myself anyways right? If you need me, I'll help out. At least, until I collapse."

**Author's Note: So I've been trying to be more consistent with my chapter posting so here it is! I know not much happens in this chapter but it did have to happen. Hope you enjoyed a bit of the ValxJack stuff. That will most likely continue... Anyways, tell me what you think! I love hearing from you all! Thanks for reading! **

**-Sydney**


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